John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England on October 9, 1940, during a German air raid to mother, Julia and father Alfred (a.k.a. Freddie). Freddie was a merchant seaman during the second world war, who went AWOL in 1943. Julia handed John over to her sister, Mimi to raise him because she was a mess. John Lennon did not see his father until the early 1960's when the Beatles got big. John's mother was killed by an off-duty police officer whilst crossing the street when he was 17. This and his father's desertion is speculated to have given John inspiration for some songs and ideas. He was the leader of the most famous rock band ever, The Beatles, and once they broke up, Lennon just got more famous. He was a strong peace advocate and used the press to spread his ideals. He married Yoko Ono later in life and many believe that this woman ruined The Beatles. Others believe that she helped Lennon express his ideas and love her for it. John Lennon was shot dead in 1980, by David Chapman – an obsessed fan. The death shocked the world. "Whether he was engaging in social activism; giving long, passionate interviews that, once again, broadened the nature of public discourse for artists; defining a new life as a self-described "househusband;" or writing and recording songs, Lennon came to view his life as a work of art in which every act shimmered with potential meaning for the world at large."
Music
Lennon created The Quarrymen and met Paul McCartney in 1957 at seventeen. The boys then started to write songs together, and the band slowly morphed into The Beatles many years later. John was considered the leader of The Beatles to the other band members because he was the "smartest and had the quickest wit and was the oldest of the group." -Paul McCartney. However, "if John Lennon had only been one of the four members of the Beatles, his artistic immortality would already have been assured." Instead, he stood for ideas of peace and love that changed the way many people looked at war through songs like "War is Over (Happy Xmas)." He also wrote songs like "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" that show his "profound musical and literary sensibility - a genius, in short -- but a vision of life that was simultaneously reflective, utopian and poignantly realistic." Much like Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev launched different styles of Classical Music and altered their nations' societies, John Lennon altered Rock and Roll completely with his new twists on the style and also had an essential impact on society during the sixties and seventies.
Japanese followers honor the late man and his ideas
Impact on Society
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." - John Lennon in "Imagine"
"It was only after the breakup of the Beatles in 1970 that the figure the world now recognizes as 'John Lennon' truly came into being." He was an essential leader in the peace movement during Vietnam and afterwards. "Many of Lennon’s post-Beatles compositions – 'Imagine,' 'Mind Games,' 'Instant Karma,' and 'Give Peace a Chance' – have rightfully become anthems, flaunting tough-minded realism, cosmic epiphany, hard-won idealism and visionary utopianism in equal measure." "Imagine" continues to be an understood anthem for world peace. Because of his songs, he is "sentimentalized as a gentle prince of peace gazing off into the distance at an Eden only he could see."
Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969. Together, they stood for peace and even staged a "Bed-In For Peace," where they stayed in bed, growing their hair out in an Amsterdam Hilton. They said if people just stayed in bed instead of fighting, the world would get along much better. They staged yet another bed-in in Montreal the same year, and recorded the hit song, "Give Peace a Chance" in their room. He sang of peace and criticized violence and the use of weapons. Lennon and Ono continuously stood for their beliefs, John often used the press as his weapon against the government. After gaining a good many followers, the Brit fought the U.S. government, who were scared of the powerful movement Lennon and his music spurred, to avoid deportation – a campaign of harassment by Nixon-era conservatives. He attended deportion hears for about four years until the campaign was overturned by the courts in 1976. Their bed-in in Amsterdam and Montreal, their black bag appearances on stage, their innocent flirting with political activists and radicals, all received massive media attention. These events were in search of world peace, which regrettably was unachievable. What Lennon did achieve, however, was to educate us all to the idea of world peace. Followers around the world loved the taste of peace that Lennon provided, and still follow by his example.
John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England on October 9, 1940, during a German air raid to mother, Julia and father Alfred (a.k.a. Freddie). Freddie was a merchant seaman during the second world war, who went AWOL in 1943. Julia handed John over to her sister, Mimi to raise him because she was a mess. John Lennon did not see his father until the early 1960's when the Beatles got big. John's mother was killed by an off-duty police officer whilst crossing the street when he was 17. This and his father's desertion is speculated to have given John inspiration for some songs and ideas. He was the leader of the most famous rock band ever, The Beatles, and once they broke up, Lennon just got more famous. He was a strong peace advocate and used the press to spread his ideals. He married Yoko Ono later in life and many believe that this woman ruined The Beatles. Others believe that she helped Lennon express his ideas and love her for it. John Lennon was shot dead in 1980, by David Chapman – an obsessed fan. The death shocked the world. "Whether he was engaging in social activism; giving long, passionate interviews that, once again, broadened the nature of public discourse for artists; defining a new life as a self-described "househusband;" or writing and recording songs, Lennon came to view his life as a work of art in which every act shimmered with potential meaning for the world at large."
Music
Lennon created The Quarrymen and met Paul McCartney in 1957 at seventeen. The boys then started to write songs together, and the band slowly morphed into The Beatles many years later. John was considered the leader of The Beatles to the other band members because he was the "smartest and had the quickest wit and was the oldest of the group." -Paul McCartney. However, "if John Lennon had only been one of the four members of the Beatles, his artistic immortality would already have been assured." Instead, he stood for ideas of peace and love that changed the way many people looked at war through songs like "War is Over (Happy Xmas)." He also wrote songs like "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" that show his "profound musical and literary sensibility - a genius, in short -- but a vision of life that was simultaneously reflective, utopian and poignantly realistic." Much like Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev launched different styles of Classical Music and altered their nations' societies, John Lennon altered Rock and Roll completely with his new twists on the style and also had an essential impact on society during the sixties and seventies.
Impact on Society
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." - John Lennon in "Imagine"
"It was only after the breakup of the Beatles in 1970 that the figure the world now recognizes as 'John Lennon' truly came into being." He was an essential leader in the peace movement during Vietnam and afterwards. "Many of Lennon’s post-Beatles compositions – 'Imagine,' 'Mind Games,' 'Instant Karma,' and 'Give Peace a Chance' – have rightfully become anthems, flaunting tough-minded realism, cosmic epiphany, hard-won idealism and visionary utopianism in equal measure." "Imagine" continues to be an understood anthem for world peace. Because of his songs, he is "sentimentalized as a gentle prince of peace gazing off into the distance at an Eden only he could see."
Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969. Together, they stood for peace and even staged a "Bed-In For Peace," where they stayed in bed, growing their hair out in an Amsterdam Hilton. They said if people just stayed in bed instead of fighting, the world would get along much better. They staged yet another bed-in in Montreal the same year, and recorded the hit song, "Give Peace a Chance" in their room. He sang of peace and criticized violence and the use of weapons. Lennon and Ono continuously stood for their beliefs, John often used the press as his weapon against the government. After gaining a good many followers, the Brit fought the U.S. government, who were scared of the powerful movement Lennon and his music spurred, to avoid deportation – a campaign of harassment by Nixon-era conservatives. He attended deportion hears for about four years until the campaign was overturned by the courts in 1976. Their bed-in in Amsterdam and Montreal, their black bag appearances on stage, their innocent flirting with political activists and radicals, all received massive media attention. These events were in search of world peace, which regrettably was unachievable. What Lennon did achieve, however, was to educate us all to the idea of world peace. Followers around the world loved the taste of peace that Lennon provided, and still follow by his example.
Sources
http://johnlennon.com/html/news.aspx - John Lennon Web Site, run by Yoko Ono
http://www.john-lennon.com/ - A site remembering Lennon
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/john-lennon - The biography and timeline of the musical genious' life
http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-beatles - The story of The Beatles
http://www.youtube.com - Search videos of Lennon's interviews and music